


Not Quite Imaginary

by Listenerofshadows



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Car Crash TW, Fairy!Virgil, Gen, Giant!Patton, Platonic LAMP - Freeform, and grow up to find out years later they were actually real, injuries tw, no one dies I promise, physical abuse tw, this is a fluffy au where two kids befriend fairytale creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-06-29 05:46:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15723204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Listenerofshadows/pseuds/Listenerofshadows
Summary: Like many children, Logan and Roman had imaginary friends. Roman's friend was Patton, a gentle giant who could heal wounds with a single kiss. Logan's friend was Virgil, a sarcastic fairy with an affinity for dark magic. Both Virgil and Patton were best friends with each other, and together the four found themselves in all sorts of troubles.But Logan and Roman are now adults and they've left imaginary friends behind along with their childhoods. The two are in for a shock of their lives when it's discovered that their imaginary friends aren't quite as imaginary as they've once thought.





	1. Kisses Make Everything Better

**Author's Note:**

> Me? Impulsively start another AU?? It's More Likely Than You Think.
> 
> This AU is based off an idea @ijustreallylovethesandersides on tumblr sent to me: "So, this isn't exactly a headcannon, but it's a really cute au idea. A friend of mine told us how when he was younger, he and his sister's imaginary friends were best friends. Now imagine an au where Roman and Logan are brothers. Patton is Roman's imaginary friend and Virgil is Logan's and Patton and Virgil are best friends. And if maybe they're more real than one might originally think, well.."
> 
> Chapter Warnings: Car Crash, injuries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman didn't spent much thinking about death. He was too busy dreaming about achieving fame, riches and living in a mansion hidden by a waterfall on the side of a mountain. He didn’t think of the possibility of dying before the age of thirty until it hit him. Literally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Car Crash, injuries

If Roman was going to be honest, he didn’t think much about what his final moments of life might be like. He was too busy dreaming and thinking up all the ways he could achieve fame, riches and living in a mansion hidden by a waterfall on the side of a mountain.

(Logan said he was being ridiculous. But Roman didn’t take the advice of the man who thought working was all there was to living)

He didn’t think of the possibility of dying before the age of thirty until it hit him. Literally. He was driving home late one night after a rehearsal. It was dark. He was humming along to the last refrains of Nonstop from Hamilton when something rammed into the side of his car.

He didn’t feel the pain; shock was one hell of a drug. But the back of his head felt sticky, and his eyes felt so heavy all of a sudden. A nap sounded good at the moment. He heard tires squeal in the nearby distance, and he wanted to laugh.

Of course, he had to be the victim of a hit-and-run. He was on a stretch of empty road late at night. The chances of someone driving across him were slim. He needed to dial 911. Roman looked over to the phone holder attached to his dashboard, only to see his phone damaged beyond repair.

He took a deep breath. Great. He was going to die, and his lead role in the play would go to his understory Dorian. The rest of the cast was going to hate him for up and abandoning them a week before opening show.

Movies and novels always depicted your whole life flashing before your eyes during your last moments of your life. But all he could think about was that one time in second grade where he stole one of Logan’s pens and how guilty he still felt for doing it. The pen had been one of Logan’s favorites. He liked saving up his money and buying fancy colorful pens to mark his notes with.

He would’ve kept Logan’s pen if it wasn’t for Patton, his imaginary friend and superb little Jiminy Cricket. Patton chastised him for the action and convinced him into giving the pen back and apologizing for stealing it. Damn, he’s going to die still feeling guilty over something Logan forgave him a decade and a half ago for.

The stench of smoke was in the air and took Roman far too long to realize it was going from his car. He couldn’t move—his body screamed in protest.

“Please,” He begged to the moon, the stars, the universe—to anyone who would hear his call, “please help. Please, please, please—"

Something lifted him out of the car, cradling him like a child. They carried him until they were far away from the smell of smoke and gasoline.

“I’ve got you, Ro,” A voice whispered, “You’re okay.”

The voice sounded so achingly familiar. Roman would’ve tried to look up at their face, but he lacked the strength to crane his neck. Instead he took solace in their presence. He wasn’t going to die alone and abandoned.

“What are you doing?” Another voice hissed, also sounding just as familiar as the first, “we can’t do this—you know the rules.”

“Vee, it’s Roman.”

Huh. That’s funny. Roman didn’t remember giving them his name.

“But—”

“Don’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same for Logan.”

“Fine.”  The other muttered, apparently unable to argument against that.

The one who was holding him turned their attention back to Roman.

“This’ll sting a bit, but it’ll make everything better, okay?”

Something soft was pressed against his forehead. Nothing happened at first. Then a bolt of electricity pulsed through his veins. He screamed out loud, both in surprise and pain. He grasped onto them tightly and didn’t let go, even as the pain slowly ebbed out of him.

“That hurt,” He gasped, “A lot.”

The second voice chuckled at his reaction, to which the first hushed at them.

“I’m sorry,” They apologized, “it hurts a lot more when I have to heal more than just scrapes and bruises.”

Roman froze, the pieces slowly starting to click together in his brain now that he wasn’t near death. There had been a reason why the voices sounded familiar.  Why the two talked as if they knew Roman and Logan. There was only one person he knew that could heal injuries with a single kiss.

Hesitatingly he opened his eyes and looked up.

“Patton?” He whispered.

There was no way. He had to be hallucinating things. But his imaginary friend smiled back at him, just as he remembered him. Patton was a towering, gentle giant who was everything Roman dreamed for in a father. In fact, Roman still privately wished the imaginary friend a happy Father’s Day every year. Logan thought it was illogical, just like many things Roman did in life.

Patton eagerly nodded, “It’s so good to see you, kiddo!”

Heart racing, Roman stumbled out of Patton’s arms.

“This can’t be real, you’re supposed to be—”

“—imaginary?” Someone else finished, and he looked over to see Virgil. He’d been Logan’s imaginary friend—a fairy with raven black wings. Roman watched, stupefied, as the fairy flitted through the air—coming to rest on Patton’s shoulder.

I’m afraid we’re not quite as imaginary as you’ve once thought.”


	2. Five Dollars and Three Quarters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan and Roman hear a wail from outside the bedroom window of their new home. Their mother says it’s just the wind, but the boys are certain that it’s something more than just the wind. Or rather, someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates? In one day? Don't expect this on a regular basis, kiddos. This chapter we're getting a look into Roman's and Logan's childhoods. This chapter was going to include adult!Logan at the end, but the chapter grew long and so I decided to wait until the next chapter to introduce adult!Logan.
> 
> Chapter Warnings: Crying, physical abuse, implications of child abuse

When Logan was five years old his father slapped him across the face. It wasn’t the first time it happened. But it was the first time it happened in front of his mother. Words started flying and Logan fled with Roman into the closet. They huddled together. Logan convinced himself it was for his younger brother’s benefit. But truly he was just as terrified as Roman.

This wasn’t the first time their parents had fought, either, but something felt different. There was a sense of finality in the air. Logan’s premonitions proved correct. His mother ushered them out of the house the next day.

“What about Daddy?” Roman asked, “is he coming with us?”

“He’s not coming with us.” She responded, her jaw clenching before turning to continue packing up their belongings.

Roman sobbed. He was only three and too young to understand that their father was not a very nice man. Logan, on the other hand, came out of the womb hating the man. He cried as a baby whenever he was held by him. Even before the man laid a finger on him he knew he was not good. Still, he accepted the man’s hugs—fearful of what consequences laid before him if he didn’t.

“There, there,” Logan said, stiffly placing his arms around Roman, “it’ll be alright.”

That was a lie. He didn’t know if that would be true. But he knew it’d help placate Roman.

“But—but who’s gonna be our daddy, Lo?” Roman sniffled, “we need a daddy!”

“We’ll buy one.” Logan said, after a pause of hesitation. He heard adults talk about going to the store to buy children—whose to say the same couldn’t be said of mothers and fathers? Obviously, someone purchased the wrong father for their family. Logan and Roman would have to fix that.

“Really?”

“Yes. I have five dollars and three quarters saved up. That should be more than enough.”

Logan was very good at saving money. Rather than using the fifty cents his mom gave him towards school milk money, he often kept it. He’d figure he would spent it on a big candy bar or a book. But daddies were just as equally important.

“We should tell Mommy—”

“No.” Logan grabbed onto his brother’s shirt sleeve to keep him from running up to their mother.

“Why not?” Roman pouted.

“Because,” Logan bit his lips, “It’s gonna be a surprise.”

“Okay!” Roman squealed, clapping his hands together.

Logan narrowed his eyes, “That means no telling. At all.”

“I know that!”

“You didn’t know that when you told Aunt Nancy about her surprise birthday party!”

“Well, I forgot!” Roman angrily stomped his foot.

The situation could’ve easily escalated into a wrestling match had their mother not cleared her throat.

“Boys,” She said, waiting until both of them made eye contact, “Get in the car, we’re going to McDonalds.”

Both of their eyes widened, and they took off sprinting towards the car. They never got McDonalds. Every kid knew that Happy Meals were to die for.  The toys from Happy Meals were practically a symbol of status. They were to be coveted.

Roman shrieked in excitement when he saw the Girls’ Happy Meal had princesses. He loved princesses! His mother sighed, but easily gave into his request. Logan stuck with the Boys’ Happy Meal, seeing as it had Hot Wheels and Logan loved Hot Wheels. He enjoyed collecting them.

They drove for a long time after that, until they reached a small house on the edge of a lake nearby a forest. It was old and rickety and full of cobwebs. They wouldn’t learn until they were older that it once belonged to their mother’s parents before they passed away.

It was supposed to be a lake house shared by all the siblings. But once they found out about their sibling’s situation, they all urged her to take the lake house for her own. The first night was scary. There were no nightlights in the boys’ bedroom meaning it was pitch black. The trees creaked as the wind brush its’ fingers against them. But the worst part was the wailing. It was a loud, guttural sound that sounded too human to belong to any sort of wild creature.

They clung to each other once more out of fear. Each of them to afraid to stumble their way through the darkness to their mother’s bedroom.

In the morning they would complain about the wailing to their mother.

“It was just the wind, dears,” Their mother sighed, ruffling each of their hair with both of her hands.

“No, it wasn’t just the wind!” Roman protested, “It was something else!”

The mother didn’t argue back; she had more important matters to deal with. She told the two that they were free to play with their toys in their bedroom or watch a movie. All she asked was that they didn’t bother her.

For a while, they were content to play with their toys. But then they heard the wailing again and froze.

“That’s it.” Logan said, opening up the bedroom window.

“What are you doing?” Roman asked.

“We won’t know what’s making the noise unless we go in-ves-ta-gate it,” Logan explained, “like scientists!”

“But what about Mommy?” Roman asked. As much as he was excited about the prospect of exploring, he was worried. Mommy probably wouldn’t like it if they left the house. She might get mad like Daddy.

“We’re be back before she knows we’re gone.” Logan said confidently.

He hopped over the ledge of the window and onto the soft grass below. He lifted his arms towards Roman and helped the younger over the edge. Once they were both on the ground, they headed towards what the wailing was located. Every so often, they’d hear it again. When that happened, Roman clasped tightly onto Logan’s arm out of comfort.

Finally, they reached a clearing to where a man sat on the ground.  Only this man was enormous. To kids, every adult looked like giants. But this man in particular was bigger than what they’ve seen before. They knew almost nothing how feet and inches worked. Logan knew of them; Roman knew zilch about them.  But if they could guesstimate how tall the man was, he’d be around nine or ten feet tall.

His size should’ve intimidated the children. He was bigger than their father, and their father appeared like Goliath to them. But it was hard to find one’s self intimidated by a giant when they were sobbing on the ground. It was clear to them that he had been the cause of the wail.

“What’s wrong?” Roman asked, releasing Logan’s arm to run towards the giant.

The giant startled, surprised to see human children alone in the woods.

“Hi kiddos,” He said, “I’m okay! Nothing’s wrong.”

He grinned hastily wiping off his tears onto his shirt.

“No, it’s not,” Logan said, “You were crying.”

“Why are you sad?” Roman asked, “can I fight it?”

This emitted a laugh from the giant, “I don’t think you can fight it, Kiddo.”

“Yes, I can! I can fight anything!” Roman said, “I’m strong! Stronger than Superman!”

“Really?” The Giant asked, amused.

“Yup!” Roman exclaimed, “can I go fight it now?”

“It’s not something you can fight,” The Giant shook his head, “I’m sad be—because I don’t have any friends.”

“Oh! Well, I can fight that!”

“How?”

Roman inhaled a deep breath before yelling, “I’ll fight you with friendship!” and spreading his tiny arms as far as he could across the giant’s chest.

“I shall also fight you with friendship.” Logan said calmly, also hugging the giant as best as he could.

The giant stiffened before very carefully hugging them back.

“Thank you.” He said, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Why are you crying?” Roman asked, confused, “are you still sad?”

“Are we doing this wrong?” Logan added.

“No, no, these are happy tears.” The giant reassured, hugging them just a bit tighter to reassure them.

Once they all let go, the giant introduced himself.

“My name is Patton, what’s your names?”

“I’m Logan and he’s Roman, my younger brother.”

“I’m three and he’s five! How old are you, Mr. Patton?”

“Roman, it’s not very nice to ask adults how old they are.”

“It’s okay,” Patton said, laughing, “I don’t mind.”

“How old are you then?!”

“I am eight hundred and fifty-three years old in Giant years.”

Both boys gasped in disbelief.

“No way!”

Yes way!” Patton grinned, before a flicker of concern crossed his face, “what are you two doing in the woods all alone?”

“We were being scientists.” Logan stated in a serious tone of voice.

“Yeah! We heard a scary noise, so we decided to invest—invest—to go see what it was. So, we walked a really long way and then we saw it was you!” Roman rambled.

“What about your parents, do they know you’re gone?”

Roman and Logan glanced at each other uneasily.

“We don’t have a daddy anymore…but we still have a mommy.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that! Does your mommy know you two are in the woods?”

“Scientists don’t need to tell their mommies where they’re going.” Logan said.

“Kid scientists do, Logan.” Patton said. He gave him a disapproving look. It didn’t look like one of Daddy’s faces. He looked sadder more than in anything else.

“She wouldn’t let us go if I told her. I didn’t want her to mess up our hippo-thesis.” Logan guiltily looked down at his feet. He knew if they told their mother where they were going, she’d forbid it. For Logan, it was better to beg for forgiveness later than ask for permission.

Roman tugged at his brother’s shirt, “Is mommy gonna be mad at us?”

‘ _Like daddy?’_  The unspoken implication hung in the air between the two. Logan glanced down at his little brother. He tried speaking, but the words stuck in his throat. Truthfully, he was just as terrified of that prospect as Roman. Tears formed in his eyes and Roman quickly followed suit until they were both bawling.

“Whoa, hey, it’ll be alright!” Patton gathered the two into his arms, “Your mommy didn’t want you in the woods because she loves you. She didn’t want to see you guys get hurt.”

“So—so she’ll be mad at us then?” Roman sniffled.

“Well, she might be upset because she was sad because she didn’t know where you two were. If Mommy left without telling you where she was going, would you two be sad?”

The two thought about this for a moment. Whenever Daddy was gone, the two were happy. He was loud and mean and never let them have fun. But Mommy was quiet and patient and kind. She gave them McDonalds and took them far away from Daddy. They’d be very sad if Mommy left them.

Both of them slowly nodded their heads.

“We’d miss her because we lo—lah—love her.” Logan said, stumbling over the L word. It felt strange and foreign to his lips.

“Right, and that’s exactly why your mommy misses you,” Patton smiled, “you two should go back to your mommy.”

“Come with us, come with us!” Roman shrieked, his small hand tugging at Patton’s thumb, “we can show you our new house!”

“Okay!” Patton beamed, pretending to be tugged along through the woods by Roman. Logan followed after them, a small smile pressed onto his lips. At one point they got turned around in the woods. Patton assuaged their fears by keeping them distracted with silly puns and allowing them to ride on his shoulders.

Eventually, they made it out of the forest where a red chipped house sat by a lake.

“Here it is!” Roman whispered loudly.

“It looks like a nice little house.” Patton said.

“You should come inside,” Logan suggested, “there’s lots of spiders.”

“Spiders?” Patton uttered weakly.

“Yeah! They’re fun to squash!” Roman said, grinning.

Patton opened his mouth to respond when something sounded in the distance. Someone was calling Roman’s and Logan’s names panickily.

“Mom.” The kids gulped.

“You kiddos better go and show her that you’re alright,” Patton said, placing them on the ground once more.

Logan nodded and took Roman’s hand. The two took a few steps towards the house when Roman turned back to address Patton,

“Oh! Patton, you should come meet Mommy!”

But Patton was already gone.


	3. Be More Serious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman texted Logan constantly. Day, night—it didn’t matter. It was as if he treated their text conversation as a personal diary. Logan ignored most of his messages. They were about frivolous things—like the cat Roman encountered on the streets or a picture of his breakfast that morning. Logan didn’t understand Roman’s need to share this with him.
> 
> Unlike Logan, his younger brother had no concept of a sleep schedule. He stayed up late pursuing projects or watching The Office. The latter of which Logan is certain he’s seen thirteen and a half times.
> 
> Logan didn’t really get the point of sacrificing sleep for the sake of rewatching shows you’ve already seen. Honestly, how did Roman expect to get anywhere in life if he first didn’t take proper care of himself? Logan couldn’t seem to get that through to that thick skull of his

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! What, it's only been like three months since I've last updated this? This is why we don't impulsively start multi-chapter fics, kiddos. I can't promise when I'll be updating this one next, but I have started on the next chapter.
> 
> This story will flip back and forth from the present to their childhood. So now we're back at the present, with adult Logan, and the next chapter will be all about Virgil and how he became friends with kid Logan. 
> 
> Chapter Warnings: Arguing, Death Mention, Blood Mention, Car Accident (Mentioned)

Roman texted Logan constantly. Day, night—it didn’t matter. It was as if he treated their text conversation as a personal diary. Logan ignored most of his messages. They were about frivolous things—like the cat Roman encountered on the streets or a picture of his breakfast that morning. Logan didn’t understand Roman’s need to share this with him.

Unlike Logan, his younger brother had no concept of a sleep schedule. He stayed up late pursuing projects or watching The Office. The latter of which Logan is certain he’s seen thirteen and a half times.

Logan didn’t really get the point of sacrificing sleep for the sake of rewatching shows you’ve already seen. Honestly, how did Roman expect to get anywhere in life if he first didn’t take proper care of himself? Logan couldn’t seem to get that through to that thick skull of his.

Nor could he persuade his brother to pursue a more sensible job than that of an actor’s. No amount of facts and statistics could pierce the balloon that was Roman’s fantasies. Logan had an appreciation of the arts—particularly poetry. He had written dozens of poems in high school. They now collected dust in a desk drawer.

Because Logan had grown up. He’d seen how unstable a career in the arts was and turned his back on it. But Roman staunchly held onto his dreams. Logan didn’t understand it. It was irrational. Roman was a good actor, yes, but the odds of him making it big were infinitesimal. Even if he did manage to do the impossible, fame was a flimsy thing to hold onto.

Regardless, Roman often forgot that Logan was a functioning member of society. Logan was one of those people that actually went to bed at nine pm and woke up at eight am on the dot. Meanwhile Roman proudly boasted surviving off of three hours’ worth of sleep.

His younger brother often forgot they didn’t share the same sleep schedule. Logan had learned by now to put their text conversation on silent. There had been too many instances of the notification chime waking him up in the middle of the night. This meant he often missed text messages from his brother completely. Not that they were all that important.

Logan had more important things than to look at cute cat videos. He was a college professor that juggled numerous classes. When he wasn’t teaching, he was always grading, coming up with lesson plans or speaking with students during his designated office hours.

Logan ate, slept, and breathed his work.

Which was why he was breaking his usual sleep curfew to grade tests. He’d promised his students that he’d had them done by Monday and it was already Wednesday. Thursday, actually as he glanced up at the clock and noticed the hour hand pointing at the number twelve.

Logan hated to let another class period pass by without the graded tests. His students deserved better than that. He was in thick of grading when his phone buzzed. He looked to see it was a message from a fellow work colleague.

Sighing, he unlocked his phone and answered their question. He exited the conversation and was surprised to find his and Roman’s text conversation at the top of his messages. Out of curiosity, he clicked on it.

 **Roman:** SCULLY YOU’RE NOT GONNA BELIEVE THIS

Frowning, he typed out a response.

 **Logan:** *going

 **Logan:** Roman, my name is Logan, not Scully. You know this

 **Roman** : IT’S A MEME NERD

 **Logan:** Right. Then what is this I’m not going to believe?

_Roman is typing._

_Roman is typing._

_Roman is typing._

**Roman:** THIS SHIT’S TOO EFFED TO TYPE CALL BACK I’LL YELL YOU EVERY WORD.

 **Logan** : Why do I have an inkling that is a nonsensical reference to something?

 **Roman** : ;)

 **Roman:** But seriously, call me Lo!!!

Logan looked down at that half-graded test before him and sighed for the second time in five minutes. He knew that if he didn’t call Roman, the other would call him incessantly until Logan finally picked up. Logan might as well see what had his brother so worked up.

He clicked on Roman’s contact info and selected the call button. Roman picked up almost immediately.

“Logan!” He roared over the background noise.

“Roman, where are you?” Logan said, hoping the location was not at some bar. The last thing he needed on his hands was dealing with a drunk Roman.

“Oh, I’m at a Denny’s,” Roman said, “But that’s unimportant. Logan, you’re not gonna believe this—”

“Yes, yes, you mentioned that over text. No need to be redundant,” Logan broke in, his patience running thin.

“—but!” Roman said, undeterred by that interruption, “I was driving home from rehearsal tonight when this jerk rammed the side of my car and then drove off. Completely totaled my car—”

“You got into a _car accident_?” Logan screeched.

“Yeah, but that’s unimportant—”

“Roman, how in the world is that unimportant?” He snapped, “Roman— _what_ Denny are you at?”

His brother rattled off the address, and Logan shakily wrote it down on a notepad.

“I am driving over there. You stay put, understand?”

“Aye-aye Captain.” Roman said cheerily.

Logan ended the call as he stumbled out of his office. He almost forgot to put on shoes before he grabbed his keys and hurried out the door. Something was clearly wrong. His brother had gotten into a car accident and seemed completely unfazed by it. Was he injured? Did he have a concussion?

Unfortunately, these were questions that could only be answered once Logan reached the Denny’s. It took every inch of Logan’s willpower to keep from speeding the whole way there. The most he allowed himself was five miles over the speed limit. And for rule-stickler Logan, that was a lot.

The Denny’s parking lot was mostly deserted by the time he reached it. He pulled his car into a parking space near the entrance and almost forgot to lock it as he dashed towards the doors. A half-asleep hostess stood by her post. She blinked at his admittedly frantic state and open her mouth when—

“Hey! He’s with me!”

Logan looked past her shoulder to see Roman waving excitedly towards him, with a stupid grin on his face.

“Are you here to pick him up?” The girl murmured lowly to Logan.

“I am.” Logan responded.

“Oh, thank God.” She said.

Logan’s eyebrows knitted together but Roman came over before he had a chance to question the hostess.

Logan’s breath hitched as he saw the state his brothers’ shirt was in. He was wearing a dark red shirt, but Logan was certain the splotches in it weren’t a part of the design. It had to be blood, he was almost certain. But before he could voice his concern, Roman spoke up first on Logan’s own clothing.

“Logan, I love the Star Trek pajamas!” Roman exclaimed, causing Logan to look down at his attire and feel a flush of embarrassment.

“Yes, well, I came as soon as I could—” Logan’s sentence was cut off as his baby brother enveloped him in a hug.

Despite his younger age, Roman was several inches taller than him. Something his brother taunted him about, repeatedly. Roman’s broad shoulders wrapped around his wiry frame, squeezing tightly as a ball python. Logan stood still a few seconds, before he reciprocated by throwing his arms around Roman, embracing him just as warmly.

The hostess stood at the desk, her face just as blank as before. Doubtless, this was not the most absurd thing she had seen on her nightly shift.

“There, there,” Logan coughed awkwardly, patting Roman’s back as he withdrew. He turned and faced the hostess, “We’ll be taking leave of your presence. Goodnight.”

He took Roman’s hand and dragged him out of the restaurant. Something stomped after just behind them, but when he glanced back at Roman—he saw nothing. He pursed his lips as he focused his attention ahead of him. It had to be Roman, he was sure of it. Roman was always stomping around, demanding attention.

Logan suppressed all his questions until they finally entered the car. When Roman’s door shut, a barrage of questions burst forth from his lips.

“What happened? Where’s your car? Are you injured?”

Roman winced, “Easy, one question at a time.”

Logan glared at him, tapping his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. Roman looked away.

“I’m sorry for stealing your pen back in second grade.”

“What?”

“You don’t remember the time I stole one of your fanciful, colorful pens you always liked to buy?”

“Roman, what—no of course not,” Logan spluttered, “what does this have to do with anything?”

“Because that was the only thing going through my mind after the accident happened,” Roman chuckled hollowly, “I thought I was going to die still feeling guilty over something stupid like that.”

“Roman…” Logan made a strangled noise, the rest of his words frustratingly refusing to come out of his throat.

His brother seemed to understand, as he reached over and squeezed Logan’s shoulder.

“So I was sitting there, right? The other car drove off and my phone was broken—”

“Wait, if your phone was broken, how did you contact me?” Logan interrupted, unable to keep himself from pointing out inconsistencies in Roman’s story.

“I’m getting there,” Roman said, waving his hand as if swatting away a fly, “My head was bleeding, and I—I really thought I was going to die alone, Lo. When…I saw them.”

“Who?” Logan asked, biting back his tongue to point out Roman’s head looked fine.

Roman paused. His head leaned back towards the backseat, as if hearing something. Logan craned his neck to look back, but he saw nothing.

“You’re…not gonna believe this,” Roman chuckled, but it was hardly one of cheer.

“Yes, I _believe_ you’ve said that two previous times already.”

“Dad joke.” Roman grinned weakly.

“Roman, please.” Logan said, pinching the bridge of his nose, “be serious for once in your life.”

His brother flinched at those words, the smile slipping off his face.

“You know when we were kids, we had imaginary friends? You had a friend named Virgil who was a fairy and I had a friend named Patton who was a giant and could heal injuries with a singe kiss?” Roman rambled, making dramatic hand gestures, “They—well they’re _real_ , Logan.”

Logan stared at Roman as if he’d grown a second head. He couldn’t be serious, this had to be some elaborate prank of Roman’s. Or maybe he’d hit his head too hard during the car crash.

Roman continued on, “Okay, I know how crazy that sounds, but it’s the truth! Logan—Patton rescued me from my car and healed me. Virgil even fixed my phone—look!”

He waved his phone in front of Logan’s face. However, the monstrosity in Roman’s hand looked less like a phone and more like a modern art piece. Roman seemed to realize that too as he turned over the phone and stared at cracked screen of the phone.

“Okay, it was a temporary fix,” Roman said, “but it was working! I texted and talked to you on the phone, remember?”

He bit his lip. It was true Roman had called and text him. However, it could be argued that the phone had been functional just enough to allow for that. He’d take that over believing his childhood imaginary friend had used magic on it.

“Roman,” Logan began, “Please forgive me if I am having a very hard time believing our childhood imaginary friends, emphasis on _imaginary_ , came and rescued you tonight. That is absurd—I just—please tell me you are joking.”

“No, for once in my life, I’m being serious, Logan.” Roman stared at him stonily.

Logan knew Roman—they’ve been inseparable as children. He knew when Roman was putting an act, and when he wasn’t. If you paid close attention, Roman had tells—just like everyone. In that moment, he couldn’t find any. He really believed what he was saying to Logan, which Roman had really lost his mind.

Roman broke eye contact as he leaned his head towards the backseat once more. He gave a slow nod, as if responding to something someone had said. But there was nobody in the car but Logan and Roman. Logan’s eyes narrowed.

“You think they’re here with us right now.” He stated.

“Yes, Logan, because they _really_ are here with us.”

“If they’re actually here, why can’t see them?” Logan said, anger coating his words.

Roman opened his mouth but said nothing. With a huff, he crossed his arms and looked away. Logan groaned, placing his hands over his face. He was suddenly aware of just how exhausted he was. He had not the energy to deal with this nonsense.

“Look, I am tired. I am going to drive us back to my apartment and we can discuss this in the morning.” Logan said sternly.

There was no way in hell he was going to leave his brother alone in his own apartment tonight. Not when he was possibly suffering from a psychotic breakdown. Thankfully Roman didn’t argue against that.

The car ride back to Logan’s apartment seemed much longer than the car ride to Denny’s. Neither brother spoke a word during the entire time since they left the restaurant until they reached the door of Logan’s apartment.

“You can take my bed, I’ll sleep on the couch.” Logan said, as he unlocked the door.

Roman shook his head, “I can take the couch, I don’t mind.”

“No—you are in need of optimal rest and besides, I will be up a little while longer to finish grading some tests.”

Roman opened his mouth to protest before pausing. He sighed.

“Don’t stay up too late, Lo.” He murmured before he stumbled off towards the bedroom in the apartment. Logan ignored the sound of large footsteps in Roman’s wake.

He watched his brother until he slipped out of sight into the bedroom. He knew already that it was doubtless he’d get much sleep. How could he, when his brother was suffering from apparent hallucinations?

He couldn’t focus on that right now. Not when he still had tests to grade. He gave one look at the clock and stormed, agitated, towards his office. Due to Roman’s antics, he lost precious grading time. Logan was only halfway through the tests when he’d stopped. Despite his growing headache, he still refused to leave them unfinished.

When he walked into his office, it appeared the same as when he left it. However, as he sat at his desk, he realized something. Instead of a graded pile to the left and an ungraded pile to the right, all of the tests were neatly stacked in one pile. With shaking hands, he started going through the test papers.

They were all graded.  Every single one, marked up the exactly according to his grading methods. In his handwriting, no less! He shook his head. Impossible. He knew that he left the apartment in a hurry, but he knew with certainty that he had been nowhere close to finishing.

“Inconceivable.” He muttered, as he flipped to the last test in the stack.

He nearly dropped the whole stack of test papers at the sight of what he found on the front of the last test.

A purple sticky note stared back at him with four simple words.

_“Get some rest, nerd.”_


End file.
